Creative Assembly is looking for a Franchise Design Director who will be accountable for developing the expertise of the Total War design discipline, the design craft and methodologies, and the franchise design strategy.
On a day-to-day basis, you will:
- Organising the discipline management structure to provide quality people management (hiring, onboarding, 1:1s, career development, clear communication and escalation paths, motivation, performance management, feedback, helping with project placement/allocation in collaboration with Resource Managers etc.)
- Building a formal design capability pathway: a competency framework, career progression and an onboarding programme, so every designer has a clear route to expert level whichever discipline they came from
- Owning the design hiring bar: role profiles, interview design and calibration, and building CA's reputation as a destination for world-class design talent
- Design craft & methodologies (establishing and maintaining standards, continuous improvement process)
- Provides communication line between Franchise Leadership Team and Project teams on a frequent basis
- Craft leadership and support: holding the agreed goals and direction, coaching Creative Directors on design craft, and adapting quickly when needed
- Design Craft support
- Exploration and analysis of the existing and evolving design of the Total War franchise
- Create and maintain a franchise design vision and philosophy that matches our franchise vision.
- Seeks opportunities and areas for improvement or advancement
- Defining what Total War design is and turning it into teachable material the discipline can be formally trained against
- Use your experience to promote our company values and culture, keep the working environment positive and inclusive, provide mentoring and coaching, and build high-performing teams.
- You will be responsible for the overall Design strategy
- You'll work with your Franchise Leadership Team colleagues on the internal and external strategy for the design discipline and the wider business
- Anticipate and solve problems, on your own and with senior leadership. Get clarity and decisions quickly, step in to build consensus, and agree a way forward.
Essential:
- Multiple shipped titles, including at least one shipped in a design leadership role (Lead, Principal, Design Director or equivalent).
- A proven track record of growing designers. You've built and run structured development for a design team, whether that's competency frameworks, career progression, onboarding or mentoring, and you can show what changed as a result.
- Experience developing designers who came into design from other disciplines, and a clear view of how to build formal training that makes good instincts repeatable and teachable.
- A track record of raising a hiring bar: you have designed and calibrated interview processes for design roles and attracted senior design talent to a studio.
- Demonstrate a passion for all things game design and a keen interest in games development overall.
- You have broad knowledge of games across platforms and genres, and an ongoing desire to learn about the craft. You play everything.
- You have a strong understanding of player motivation and what makes gamers tick.
- You treat design as a craft that is both art and science — something that can be understood, taught and improved, and you apply that knowledge and curiosity to any genre you work in.
- You have a clear, well-articulated design philosophy and can explain how it shapes your practice.
- You are constantly up to date on trends in the games industry and in entertainment more broadly.
- You play analytically. You can explain why a game works, not just whether you liked it, and you can build deep knowledge of the Total War series quickly.
- An interest in history.
- Attention to detail and a passion for making quality products.
- Self-motivated, focused, and consistently delivers high-quality work.
- A strong communicator who writes clearly and succinctly.
- A constructive approach to complex problem solving and teamwork.
- You have a high quality bar and a need to drive excellence in your craft and in the work of those around you. When something isn’t good enough, you can coach, mentor, and explain why that’s so.
- You can drive consensus and navigate teams to the best outcomes. You always work to build bridges, and you let the best idea win regardless of where it came from.
- Accountability is critical for yourself and others. You demonstrate accountability and you require it of others around you.
- Confident working with data and spreadsheets to interrogate design decisions.
